About Shawn Shawn P. Roarke is NHL.com's Senior Writer. With nearly 16 years on the NHL beat, Shawn promises to provide his sometimes off-the-wall views on the NHL and pop culture in general on a regular basis. Feedback E-mail Shawn your comments at: Roarkeblog@nhl.com Recent Posts Day 7: The power of the Cup Day 6: I'm a star Day 5: Way more than a game Day 4: Cold, tired, broke ... what a great time! Day 3: Touring London with the Ducks Day 2: Seeing the sites Day 1: Planes, trains and no automobiles Photo Gallery Roarke's London Adventures Related Video Burke chats about his day with the Cup Kings coaches instruct kids Ducks view their names on the Cup Team Links Ducks Blog Kings in Austria

Sunday, September 30, 2007

Day 7: The power of the Cup

Love may be the universal language, but the Stanley Cup is the universal symbol of hockey.

That lesson is driven home every time you are lucky enough to travel in the company of the trophy and its keepers.

This weekend, Phil Pritchard, one of the Cup keepers, spent a few hours each day bringing the Cup to the people at the 02 Arena. And, just as is the case and Canada and the United States, the Cup was treated like a rock star by the fans, both British and from the rest of Europe.

Mats Hallin is now a European scout for the Chicago Blackhawks. Back in the 1980s, he played part-time for the dynastic New York Islanders. In 1982-83, he played enough games to qualify to have his name on the Stanley Cup.

Unfortunately, he never saw his name on the Cup -- until Saturday, that is. Entering the arena, he saw the crowd around the Stanley Cup. He made his way through it, caught Pritchard’s attention and explained that he had never seen his name on the Cup.

Pritchard was able to show him the panel with Hallin’s name on it and the ensuing smile was bright enough to light the whole arena.

Josh Smith, 10, came with his family from Farnborough, a suburb 40 miles west of London. He worked his way through a crowd five deep to get to the restraining ropes that separated the Stanley Cup from its adoring fans. Then, he was able to get a picture with his father Jon, with the Stanley Cup looming majestically in the background.

Jon Smith was chuffed to bits to get the photo of his son, a hockey player for the Bracknell Buzzers, with the Cup. He hopes he can break it out when Josh wins the Stanley Cup.

“He’s a hockey player and obviously he has his dreams of getting his hands on the Stanley Cup,” said Jon Smith, an assistant coach for his son’s team.

It seems Josh already knows a little about winning. He is a member of Bracknell’s U-10 team, a club that has won back-to-back national championships. Josh also plays roller hockey for the Great Britain national team.

Josh’s older brother, Sam, 19, also plays roller hockey for Great Britain. He got involved in the sport after going with his father to New York to see the Rangers play during Wayne Gretzky’s final season. Upon, his return, Sam was hooked and he started playing roller hockey, and dreaming of the Stanley Cup.

A crowd of hockey fans gathers around the Stanley Cup, hoping to get as close as possible to the trophy.

Michael McKay, 15, plays for the Scottish junior national team, and he also plays for the Flames club team, based in Fife, Scotland. He made sure he got a few pictures of the trophy on his camera before heading to his seats.

“I wondered what all the people were about,” he said. “I was surprised when I saw it was the Stanley Cup. It was amazing to see it.”

The power of the Stanley Cup was shared by so many this weekend, even if those that have never strapped on skates. Fan after fan walked away from the queue with some cherished pictures on their cameras and some lifetime memories in their hearts.

I, too, have added some Stanley Cup memories to my own ever-expanding personal database.

Trust me, watching people meet the Stanley Cup never gets old. And, trust me on this as well: it’s a pretty safe bet that I will nip off to bed tonight dreaming Stanley Cup dreams of my own to rival any of those from the throng of people greeting the Stanley Cup in London this weekend.

Saturday, September 29, 2007

Day 6: I'm a star

English hockey fans are so hungry for the North American game that anybody associated with the NHL seems a little famous over here – even yours truly!

Amazingly, a few of the very nice security guards here thought I played the game, a mistake of monumental proportions that was flattering, nonetheless. In my eight years with the NHL, maybe one or two people have recognized me at the various barns across North America. This week, I have been stopped by fans no less than two dozen times.

Maybe it’s the new-look head-shot picture I submitted just before I left. It’s much more flattering than the prison mug-shot look I was sporting for the last year or so. It’s a good thing my wife is a talented photographer; she has softened a variety of sins in the new picture, because as they say, I have a face for radio.

That face for radio, by the way, served me well when I was on Ducks radio during the first intermission. My dulcet tones surely jarred some listeners out of their between-periods siesta as Saturday broke on the West Coast.

Hey, multimedia exposure is the way to stardom, they say.

Whatever I am doing here, it seems to be working. It seems I am a minor celebrity in Blighty. I’m not in the David Beckham stratosphere yet, but I’m working on it. I’m hoping one day to be a Vinnie Jones-like figure here, known by hardcore English football fans but unknown to the public at large – hard man of NHL.com, so to speak.

“Excuse me, mate, aren’t you the bloke that writes the postcards for NHL.com?” I was asked by one fan as I exited the London Underground at North Greenwich, just outside the 02 Arena.

I smiled and nodded; stunned that anyone would recognize me – least of all a British hockey fan exiting the Tube on a Saturday afternoon. He complimented me on my work and walked away. I chuckled at what I thought would be a one-off compliment.

I was wrong

As I took pictures of fans looking at the Stanley Cup in the 02 Arena rotunda, a teenaged lad sidled up and called me Mr. NHL.com. I guess that is a little like “Mr. Hockey,” although I will never be as cool or graceful as Gordie was (and remains).

Finally, I was interviewing a couple from Sheffield, England, about the game and the husband, Keith Richie, was looking at me a wee bit dodgy. I thought it might be because I had complimented his wife, Laura, on her game-worn Grant Marshall jersey from his days with the New Jersey Devils as a way to open a conversation. But, I was wrong. It was merely that he recognized me from my blog.

Keith works at a hockey shop in Sheffield, and he says he and his mates peruse NHL.com every day.

I thought I recognized you,” he laughed when he finally connected my real-life face with my mug shot. “I read NHL.com all the time.

Earlier, I had passed the boys from the Medway Madness hockey club, a local recreational team, and they referred to me as the “NHL.com guy.” Madness player Nigel Howard called yesterday’s mention of him in the London Postcard as the ‘highlight of my day, the highlight of my life.”

In fact, several members of his team gathered around me to pose for a picture to commemorate the momentous meeting.

I think I can get used to this celebrity thing.

Perhaps I’ll stay on and become Britain’s foremost hockey expert. It sounds like a pretty good gig, and the celebrity of it is already intoxicating.

Friday, September 28, 2007

Day 5: Way more than a game

Every once in a while, it is important to be reminded that hockey is about more than just the games themselves and the players who play them.

Hockey, for those that get it, is about a way of life and the joy that it brings to those who believe this simple, undeniable fact. Friday, in London, that message was brought home repeatedly.

In the morning, as the Anaheim Ducks worked through a final practice before Saturday’s season-opening game here against the Los Angeles Kings, their GM, Brian Burke, took some time out to address a group of United States military personnel and their families on hand to watch practice and spend some time in the company of the Stanley Cup.

Among that group was Angella Herrmann, the wife of Air Force Major Chris Herrmann, a C-130 pilot presently stationed in Iraq. Angella Herrmann was in her Anaheim Ducks jersey, posing proudly with the Cup.

The picture will be a late anniversary present to Chris. The couple -- with Chris in Iraq and Angella back at FAF Maiden hall in London -- celebrated their seventh wedding anniversary apart last Sunday.

But they remain united in hockey.

The couple met on a blind date when Angella attended one of Chris’ men’s league hockey games. While stationed in Belleville, Ill., the couple often went to St. Louis Blues games. Chris, while on temporary duty assignments in California, became a regular at Ducks games and passed the love of the team onto his wife.

So, she was thrilled to be able to pose with the Cup their beloved Ducks claimed last June. She was even more excited to present the picture to her husband when the two chatted via video uplink.

She struggled to explain the significance of the gift hockey had giver her Friday morning, fighting back tears to get her sentences out.

“I think the only thing that would make today more perfect would be for Chris to be here,” she said, stopping in a failed attempt to compose herself. “He would love this.”

***

Later in the day, another generation of hockey fans was getting the thrill of a lifetime at the 02 Arena. The NHL invited some players from the local youth hockey leagues to practice on the ice after the two NHL teams were finished with their skates.

As a result, more than 50 kids from the U-10 programs throughout the area invaded the ice, which they all said was the best they have ever seen by far in their short lifetime. Members of the Invicta Imps, the Streatman Braves, Lee Valley and Solent and Green were all hand for a twirl around a NHL rink.

Kings' coaches Bill Ranford and Mike Johnson instruct 50 London-area kids.

They even received some on-ice instruction from Kings’ goalie coach Bill Ranford and associate coach Mike Johnson.

The kids listened intently, but it was the adults who were enraptured.

Nigel Howard plays for a local club – the Medway Madness -- and he was on hand with some of his mates to take in the proceedings. Among them, they had three cameras that were in near-constant use, documenting every minute of a once-in-a lifetime treat.

“Oh, I wish I was 10,” said Nigel, bemoaning the luck of the children to skate on the perfect ice surface.

His despair grew when Ranford took the ice.

“That’s a two-time Cup winner there, mate,” he said excitedly to his friends.

Howard loves everything about the NHL. He fell in love with hockey on a trip to Canada and he has been around the bend for the sport ever since. Now, it dominates his every waking thought and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“It’s an absolutely great game,” he said. I can’t get enough of it.”

Neither can I get enough of it and I’m grateful that Angella and Nigel reminded me again why our sport is so special and why I am so blessed to be a small part of it.

Posted by Shawn @ 12:39 p.m. ET

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Day 4: Cold, tired, broke... What a great time!

Well mates, I have been in London long enough to feel a bit like a local, at least enough to not stand out among the locals, if you know what I mean.

It has been a crazy three days on the ground here and I have related the many adventures I have had in helping to bring the NHL to London and the great people of England.

Today, I thought I would touch more on some of my observations about what I have seen and experienced.

I packed wrong -- I checked the weather before I came and thought I could get away with a rain-resistant windbreaker. Clearly, I lost the plot in this case. The rain has not been a problem – a few inconsequential showers – but the cold and biting wind has been bracing, to say the least.

Send money, Mom! -- People told me London was expensive, but it doesn’t really hit home until you arrive here. I’m pretty sure I spent $36 for breakfast this morning.

All I wanted was a Pepsi! -- As the boys back in the office know, I’m quite addicted to caffeinated soda to pull my eyes open in the morning. But the Pepsi here is far different than back home and far scarcer for some reason. Fortunately, I have survived so far without the need to be institutionalized -- for all you Suicidal Tendencies fans out there.

Look left! -- Thank God for the signs at your feet at most intersections in the tourist areas. If not for those all-too-necessary reminders, I’m sure I would have already found myself atop the bonnet of a passing cab.

Smile, you’re on Candid Camera -- Screaming for Vengeance by Judas Priest is among my all-English CD collection for this week. It is kind of scary, however, to listen to the song Electric Eye as you wander London. There are cameras everywhere -- in the tube waiting areas, in pubs, on the streets -- documenting your every move. It can be unsettling when you stop to think how pervasive the surveillance is. Fortunately, I have been a right proper bloke since I have been here.

Come again, mate? --I thought I knew the British form of English pretty well after years of watching English TV telecasts of Premier League matches and reading the London Sun. Again, I was wrong. As soon as the people I meet start talking in their fast, clipped accents I become gobsmacked. Once I get them to slow down, I am good, though.

Food for thought -- Everyone told me the food would be bad in London -- plain and lacking adventure. What a pack of lies! Steak and ale pie is so good I have contemplated having it every night. The fish and chips are like nothing I have had back home, and I hail from New England originally. And, I can’t wait to have me a pie at the football game Monday at White Hart Lane.

What a bunch of good blokes! -- That’s probably the best lesson I have learned here. The English are a good lot who make you feel welcome. I can’t even tell you how many invites I have gotten from English readers of NHL.com to go out for a pint or meet for dinner. The people out and about have been just as friendly, as well.

Posted by Shawn @ 11:09 a.m. ET

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Day 3: Touring London with Stanley and the Ducks

Wednesday, NHL.com took an abbreviated double-decker bus tour of London. But the company couldn’t be beat as I joined the Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks and the Stanley Cup itself for a quick jaunt through the city.

We all climbed aboard a 30-year-old traditional red double-decker bus that is only used for special occasions. And, what could be more special than escorting the Ducks and the Stanley Cup on a sight-seeing tour?

We saw it all in the course of two hours. First stop was Tower Bridge – and not the London Bridge, as I mistakenly called it yesterday. I publicly apologize to all the Brits that I offended and especially to those that took the time to gently point out the error of my ways.

Then, we sped past the Tower of London (good thing I stopped for the tour Tuesday) and on to Big Ben, Westminster Abby and Parliament Square. We stopped here briefly for some pictures with the Cup in Parliament Square and then it was back on the bus for a quick pass past Buckingham Palace – where I learned there are 94 washrooms at the disposal of the royal family – and a slog through rush-hour traffic back to the Canary Wharf hotel.

I must admit, at times, it seemed too close to the classic Vacation scene where Chevy Chase can’t merge out of traffic and keeps looping around the same London circle, pointing out all the same tourist attractions to his kids over and over.

But Chevy Chase and family did not have the Stanley Cup in their car! And, that made all the difference.

You don’t really realize the power of the Cup until you go away from its comfort zone. It is a celebrity even on the streets of London, where football’s FA Cup reigns supreme among the sporting populace. Everywhere we went, people pointed and stared and asked hush questions as the Cup passed by.

For others, it made an already special trip all the more special. Montreal native Pierre Boulais was in town to visit some museums while on holiday. He was walking along the Thames River near Tower Bridge and there was the Stanley Cup.

“Here I am in England and I just saw the Stanley Cup, can you imagine this?” he said. “I’m lucky. I didn’t even expect that.”

Few ever expect to have an audience with the Cup and those that do know that they have been bestowed a special honor. I was bestowed that honor Wednesday and it is not one I will ever forget.

Posted by Shawn @ 3:13 p.m. ET

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Day 2: Seeing the sites

It’s amazing what 10 hours of jet leg-induced sleep will do for you. I woke up Tuesday morning like a new man, ready to tackle the world – or at least my little corner of London.

Monday night, I made it until just about 9 p.m. local time -- enjoying a magnificent steak-and-ale pie for dinner -- before finally falling into a blissful coma. I had been up for about 30 hours with only a fitful nap on the airplane to tie me over, so the sleep was much-needed.

Full of vim and vigor upon waking Tuesday, I decided to take some of my little down time to do some sightseeing. I popped some Elvis Costello into the headphones (I’m only listening to English music on this trip) and I took off for the Tower of London and London Bridge, which are located relatively close to my west India Quay hotel.

The Tower of London was amazing, as I had been told by so many other visitors to England. The tour guides –the Yoemen Warders (better known as Beefeaters) – are amazing and hysterically funny as they literally walk you through the history of London.

My tour guide, Simon, had our group cracking up regularly with one-liners about some of the biggest names in English history. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I am happy I made the time to experience.

But even as I was mired in the long and magnificent history of England, I couldn’t get hockey out of my mind – especially when taking in the Crown Jewels.

Upon entering the exhibit, there is a room with replica wooden thrones for every monarch in English history. Not to be disrespectful, but I couldn’t help but notice the similarities the room had to so many NHL dressing rooms, especially with the individual wooden stalls circling the room.

Also among the jewels is the crown of Frederick, Prince of Wales, which dates back to 1728. It was a pretty impressive crown, but no more beautiful than the NHL’s Prince of Wales trophy.

Getting some face time with the Beefeaters, in this case front-gate guard, Ken.

Also, there was a golden Grand Punch Bowl in the collection that, with its beauty and opulence, could easily have been the predecessor of the Stanley Cup. I couldn’t help but imagine a king and his knights drinking from it after successful battle in the same way NHL players drink from the Cup after the final victory in the Stanley Cup Final.

Before leaving the Tower’s grounds, I even ran into some NHL fans. Edouard Arsenault, a 7-year-old from St. Lambert, Quebec, was wandering the exhibit with a Montreal Canadiens cap perched proudly on his head. He was there with his brother, Jerome, 9. The family has season tickets to the Canadiens and had already taken in a preseason game before arriving in London for holiday. Unfortunately, they are leaving before this weekend’s games at the 02 Arena.

I’m also happy to report that London Bridge is not falling down. It is standing as magnificently as it has been for centuries. Unfortunately, by the time I finished my exhaustive tour of the Tower, the tours of the Bridge were done for the day. I had to content myself with a quick trip across the span and the impeccable views of the Thames it provides.

Wednesday, the preparation for this weekend’s games begins in full. The Anaheim Ducks arrive later tonight and will have their first practice on the new ice surface at the 02 Arena on Wednesday morning. NHL.com will be there with all the action.

Until then, cheers mates! We’ll be back at you all Wednesday morning.

Posted by Shawn @ 1:37 p.m. ET

Monday, September 24, 2007

Day 1: Planes, trains and no automobiles

It’s your intrepid -- and severely jetlagged -- NHL.com reporter checking in for the first time from Merry Olde England.

Getting here was certainly an adventure. My red-eye flight across the pond was delayed upon departure because of the arrival of UN dignitaries into JFK International in New York. Then, upon arrival at Stansted Airport, I was informed that my car was nowhere to be found, the driver believing my flight had been cancelled, not delayed. Oh yeah, the weather was wet and windy and tornadoes were reported in various locales throughout England.

So, being the adventurous sort that I pride myself on being, I decided to take the train to downtown London. Well, a simple 45-minute train ride turned into a train ride, a two-transfer excursion on the Underground and a one-transfer shot on the light rail. Three hours after landing, the hotel was finally in sight. It was strangely like my daily commute back home, except a little longer and everybody around me spoke the Queen’s English.

Despite the snafus, the train adventures gave me a good overview of London and the surrounding countryside. It also has me fired up for spending a week here and relating my adventures to the NHL.com community.

I will check back each day with a postcard detailing my time here. I hope you enjoy them, as well as the top-notch editorial coverage we have planned all week. But for now, I’m going grab a quick bite to eat and sack out as jet lag settles in with a vengeance.

Posted by Shawn @ 2:22 p.m. ET